Ink fountain



- i June 2, 1925. 1 1,540,357

3 G. F. MATTESON INK FOUNTAIN Filed Dec. 20, 1922 Patented June 2, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,540,357 PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE FRANKLYN MATTESON, OF ROCKY HILL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO THOMSON-NATIONAL PRESS COMPANY, INC., OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE. A

INK FOUNTAIN.

Application filed December 20, 1922. Serial No. 608,101.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE FRANKLYN lVIATTESON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rocky Hill, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have i11- vented certain new and useful Improvements in Ink Fountains, of which the following is a specification.

My said invention relates to an ink fountain for printing presses and it is an object of the invention to provide improved means for adjusting the feed.

Referring to! the accompanying drawing which is made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts, I j I Figure 1 is an elevation of my device viewed from one side, and

Figure 2 is a rear elevation of the same.

dicates the frame of thefountain which may consist of a casting of any convenient shape and which has an oblique partition 11 dividing its interior into upper and lower parts. In the upper part there is an ink supply in contact with the ink cylinder 12 and resting on a blade 13. The ink cylinder has at its end a ratchet 14 driven by a pawl 15 on a rockarm 16. The rockarm is connected by a link 17 to a rocking bent lever 20 carrying at its end a roller 21 which rests on a rotary cam 22. It will be seen that as the cam revolves the lever 18 will be rocked and so cause the pawl to drive the ratchet and the ink cylinder. In so rotating the cylinder takes up ink from the supply at the rear thereof andcarries it around for application to a ductor roller not shown).

As one expedient for regulating the supply of ink I have provided means to limit the return throw of the lever 18. As shown this lever is provided with a spring 23 secured to the frame 10 at 24 for returning it against the action of the cam. An abutment is provided to limit such return movement, said abutment consisting of a rod 25 mounted in the bore of a hollow bracket 26 which is here shown as formed integral with the frame 10. The bracket is cut away at one side to form an opening through which a. pin 27 projects, this pin extending into the bolt 25 but being free to swing on its own axis and carrying at its outer end a handle 28 which may be in the form of a round In the drawings reference character 10 intion of its length to arrest the lever 18 at an earlier or later stage in its movement and thus cause the pawl to mowe the ratchet through a segment varying from several teeth to none at all, there being of course no movement of the ink cylinder in the lat ter case.

The adjustment hitherto described affects the are through which the cylinder rotates at each stroke of the lever 18. I provide another adjusting means for determining the thickness of the film of ink on the cylinder. For this purpose the blade 13 is made of resilient material and is bent upward at 7 its free end so as to lie in a plane approximately radial with respect to the ink cylinder. This causes ink to be cut from the cylinder in an effective manner similar to the cutting action exerted by a tool on a cylinder in a lathe. A series of pressure distributing plates 31 are located underneath the blade 13 and extend across the same. These pressure distributing plates are acted upon by a series: of screws 32 located in the frame 10 and here shown as passing through holes in. the outer wall and another hole in the partition 11. j

, lVhile I have shown and described a preferred form of my invention I do not limit myself strictly to what is here shown and disclosedbut only as indicated in the appended claims. A

'Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder, a ratchet connected thereto, a pawl for actuating the ratchet, means for moving the pawl positively in one direction, resilient neans for returning it, a slidably mounted bolt for limiting the action of said resilient means, a bracket in which the bolt is slidable, said bracket having a seriesof teeth arranged parallel to the line of movement of the bolt, and means movable with the bolt for engaging the respective teeth to vary the action of the ratchet, substantially as set forth.

2. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder, a ratchet connected thereto, a pawl for actuating the ratchet, means for moving the pawl positively in one direction, resilient means for returning it, a bolt for limiting the action of said resilient means, a bracket in which the bolt is movable, said bracket having a series of teeth, and an oscillating pin projecting laterally from the bolt the shank of said pin being cresent shaped in cross section for engagement with the respective teeth ofsaid series, substantially as set forth.

In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder, means for rotating the same, means for adjusting the thickness of the film on the cylinder comprising an integral resilient blade mounted beneath the cylinder and bent at its forward end approximately into a plane radial with respect to said cylinder, and means for adjustably positioning the free end of the blade, substantially as set forth.

4. In an ink fountain, the combination of an ink cylinder, a ratchet connected to the cylinder, a pawl engaging the ratchet, a bent lever having upright and horizontal arms the upright arm being connected to said pawl, a cam engaging the horizontal arm to move the lever in one direction, a spring connected to the upright arm to return the lever, and means acting on sald upright arm for adjustably limiting the return stroke of the lover thereby limiting the rotation of the ink cylinder, substantially as set forth.

5. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder mounted at one side thereof, a ratchet on the cylinder, a pawl therefor, a lever connected to thepawl, means to reciprocate the lever, a bearing formed on one end of the fountain, a bolt for limiting the returnmo-vement of the lever slidably mounted in said bearing, and means for securing the bolt in various positions of adjustment, substantially as set forth.

6. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder extending along an upper edge of the fountain, a pivot at a diagonally opposite edge, a lever on said pivot having an'upright arm and a horizontal arm adjacent a bottom edge of the tank, an operating cam engaging said horizontal arm to move the lever in one direction, pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating the cylinder, and a link connecting said mechanism to the upright lever arm, substantially as set forth.

7. Inan ink fountain, an ink cylinder extending along an upper edge of the fountain,

horizontal arm to move the lever in one direction, pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating the cylinder, a link connecting said mechanism tothe upright lever arm, a spring below the-link secured tothe fountain at one end and to the upright lever arm at the other, a bolt .slidably mounted on the fountain for limit-ingthe returnmovement of said upright lever arm,-and means for securing said bolt in various positions of adjustment, substantially as set forth.

' 8. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder extending along an-upper edge-of the formtain, a pivot at a diagonally opposite edge, a lever on said pivot having an upright arm anda horizontal armadjacent a bottom edge of the tank, an operating cam engaging said horizontal arm to move'thelever in one direction, pawl and ratchet mechanism for operating the cylinder, a link connecting said mechanism to'theuprightlever arm,

means acting in opposition to 'said'cam to return the lever, and adjusta-ble'means for limiting the return movement of said-upright arm, substantially asset forth.

'9. In an ink fountain, an ink cylinder, means for a rotating 1 the cylinder including an oscillating lever, means for movingt'he lever positively in one direction, resilient means for returning it, a bolt lying inthe plane of movementjof'the lever, said bolt being mounted to slide toward and from the lever, and means for securing the bolt in various positions ofa'dju stment to varythe return stroke of the lever, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have "hereunto set my hand and seal at Hartford, Connecticut, this 18th day of December, A. l). nineteen hundred and twenty-two.

GEORGE FRANKLY'NlVIATTESON.

VVitnesses-z ORREST J. PALMER,

WM. H. GAYEORD. 

